Celeste was so eager to be invited to hang out.

She also was curious about everything that went down as she hadn’t seen Cirrus nor Raine since the coronation. All she heard was the buzz around town. While on her shifts at the pet shop, many customers would gossip while window shopping for pets and she overheard every detail. During her breaks at the cafe she scrolled through stories on her phone. Her mind was clouded with worry and so many rumors, wondering if Cirrus caught wind of any of it. Wondering if the kingdom was just keeping things hush-hush until the right moment. The invite was the perfect opportunity to spill everything boggling her mind. She even brought along Drift.

She’d never seen the inside of the princess’ room before. When the royal guards escorted her to the destination her eyes widened in awe. How decorated! How massively spacious it all was! Upon entering the room, she turned full circle taking in the entirety of the space. There were windows opposite her which kept the room brightly lit. Turning counterclockwise, the next sight was a little TV nook with a rug, coffee table, and couch sat to the left. Following suit, an expansive wall of books neatly shelved. In front of them sat a medium-sized writing desk. She continued turning and faced Cirrus’ walk in closet which from where she stood appeared to be filled with a plethora dresses, gowns, and heels. The entrance to her bathroom was right next to her closet. And last but certainly not least was the king sized canopy bed framed by two night stands and an ottoman.

Cirrus waved at her friend who was lost in overwhelm.

“Um, Celeste?” She lightly touched her friend’s shoulder, hopefully bringing her back to reality.

“Oh hello Cirrus, I almost didn’t recognize you there. Your room envelops you!”

“May we converse on the couch or the bed? Since you’re my guest, it’s your choice.”

“Bed please!”

Celeste immediately hopped over to the bed while Cirrus requested cookies and tea for their chat.

The comforter felt as soft as the clouds, she thought as she spread out. Oh my I can envision myself getting many good nights sleep upon these linens.

The hangout was like a little mid-day sleepover where girls could chat and catch up.

Drift peeked out of Celeste’s bag wanting attention.

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind I brought over... “

“Is that the bunny I held the first day I met you in the park?”

“Drift!“ They said in unison followed by joyful giggles.

Cirrus got comfy on the bed next to Celeste. Drift squirmed out of Celeste’s arms to go over and greet the princess.

“So it’s been a good minute since I’ve talked to you. How’s everything going post um, failed coronation? Everything on your end has been so quiet lately, I’ve begun to worry.”

The maid knocked on the door briefly interrupting by bringing over the tea and cookies. It was good timing as she didn’t interrupt before the girls slipped into deep conversation.

“Oh! And have you seen Raine? How’s he?” Celeste quickly added before Cirrus could answer.

“Well, quite busy I suppose. I’ve been doing lots of busywork alongside my mother. Shadowing I believe. I’ve been flooded w/ so much work lately that I haven’t had time to go out nor to go and check in on Raine. I do wonder about him though since he’s been sick for days now. My phone usage and TV usage have been suspended since the coronation.”

It didn’t take long for Celeste to put two and two together from Cirrus statement. Sounds like a distraction. She thought to herself as she picked up her tea cup.

“So you haven’t gone out since coronation?”

“Nothing but the rear courtyard. No where else.”

Oh dear, the poor girl has been kept in a vacuum for the past week. Celeste thought as she slowly sipped her tea.

“Well by what you’ve just told me you haven’t seen nor heard any of the stories?”

“Stories??” Cirrus looked puzzled.

Celeste paused to look into her friend’s big eyes and sighed. And then she guiltily looked down into her tea cup.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news but things are not as they seem around here.”

She proceeded to pull out her phone and showed her the articles.

“The townspeople have been eating up the stories and talking about you and Raine.”

Cirrus read and read the countless titles:

“Prince follows Disgraceful Brother’s Footsteps”

“Sick Prince or M.I.A Prince?”

“Abandoned and Naïve: Princess Needs to get a Clue”

“Secret Romance: Raine Ditches Cirrus for Another Princess”

“Failed Coronation: A Prince Missing, A Princess Dumbfounded and a Kingdom in Ruin”

Word of mouth spreads quickly and it seems the farther the news spreads, the more twisted the stories become.

[excerpt article 1]

“A week after the failed coronation and merger, there have been no signs of the Prince or Princess and no news of a new date. Sky Atlians pretend as if nothing has happened at all while Sky Strato continues to decline into financial ruin...“

[excerpt article 2]

“You’d think after a week the Prince or one of his advisors could give an update on his health. I believe he may be missing and the illness was just a ruse...“

Everything about the "sleepover" started off light-hearted but the mood suddenly turned as Cirrus continued reading each article. It was the silent yet eerie feeling of disillusionment and heartbreak. The princess’ cheeks began to flush. The heat of sadness was coming on but the tears had yet to fall.

And suddenly, the two kings made it to the princess’ quarters, and busted open the doors as everyone stared at each other in bewilderment.

“What is she doing here Cirrus? I said no visitors!”

“Well thanks to her I now know the truth! I know why I’ve been locked away in the castle all week!”

The tears welled up in Cirrus’ eyes. “Is it true?! Is Raine gone? Have you been keeping me in the dark?”